What Millennials Think About Death

The generation born from 1980 to 2000, often known as millennials, are a group that by and large loves living in the moment. And with that kind of present thinking, a subject as big and ominous as death isn’t one that many young adults think about on a regular basis. Here are some of the reasons why millennials would rather live their lives than talk about dying.

They’d Rather Live In the Moment

Millennials are too busy living in the moment to give much thought to death. School, jobs and entertainment are some of the more pressing issues they have to deal with, and if they ever think about death, it’s usually after a seminal moment such as the 9/11 attacks. Young people want to enjoy their lives as it’s being lived, and stopping to consider that those lives have an expiration date is a major buzz-kill. That isn’t to say that they don’t ever think about death, but it’s usually in relation to something personal, such as a relative or famous person dying, not about their own mortality.

They Have a Live Forever Mentality

One of the defining aspects of millennials is that they are young. And a lot of young people believe they are immortal, and that death is something for middle-aged and old people. Millennials are busy inventing cool things and changing the face of modern politics with their voting preferences, and as more and more advertisers cater to them, millennials feel a sense of invincibility that makes thinking about death almost a joke.

They Think Life Insurance Is a Scam

For many millennials, the idea behind life insurance is baffling, because why pay for something that’s going to happen so far in the future? This rationale often changes as millennials transition into long term relationships, marriage and parenting, but until those life-changing events occur, many millennials don’t view life insurance as an essential service, especially if they don’t have anyone in their lives they need to support after they’re dead.

They Don’t Believe God Controls Life and Death

Polls show that a large majority of millennials are turning from the church, and from a belief that God controls life and death, and embracing a secular humanism that places much greater value on controlling your own destiny through your behavior and lifestyle. And this shift away from a divine hand that guides everything, has made millennials skeptical about why death occurs at a specific time for different people. Instead of believing that it was “God’s will,” that claimed a person’s life, millennials are more apt to believe in karma, justice and the random nature of life to explain death.

They Mourn Digitally

No other generation has grown up with more ways to publicly communicate than millennials. As a result, millennials are more likely to grieve on social media than any other generation. For millennials, privacy is a four-letter word, and sharing their grief and mourning with others on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is the modern way of dealing with death. This communal aspect of overcoming loss is one that the Baby Boom generation would find horrifying, as in the old days, grief was very personal and private, and was only shared with close friends and relatives.